Journal-box lid.



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.roUnnaL-Bon Lin.

Specflcation of Letters Patent.

llatented Dee. l2, 19M.

Application filed February 19, 1916. Serial 1\T o. 79,335.

. T all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, ALVIN C. MCCORD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Journal-Box Lids; and ldo hereby-declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the inventiomsuch as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has for its object to provide a simple andefficient journal box lid and actuating'device therefor; and to suoliends, generally stated, the invention consists of thenovel devices andcombinations of devices hereinafter -described and defined in theclaims.

. More definitely stated, the invention has for its object` to improvethat type of spring lid actuating device which has a neutral positionbelow which it will operate to automatically close the lid and hold thesame closed. and above which it will automatically move the lid into anextreme open position and hold the same in such extreme position.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrater the invention, likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical section with partsbroken away, showing my invention applied to a journal box `and lid.such as used on railway cars; and Fig. 2 is a section takenapproximately on the line m2 .r2 of Fig. 1.

The numeral 1 indicates an end portion of one of the .axle journals, andthe numeral 2 indicates the journalbox which, except as hereinafternoted, is, or may be of standard construction. and is formed with aheavy hinge lug 3 to which the lid 4.- is hinged by a hinge'pin 5 heldin position by a spring cotter or split key 6. l

The lid 4 has on its inside surface two laterally spaced web-likebrackets 7 cast, or otherwise made integral or rigid therewith.. Thesebrackets 7 on their opposing faces are formed with open topped trunnionseats 8, in which rest the trunnions 9 of a lever 10. The lever 10 is ofbell crank-form and its long arm is upwardly extended and engaged with adepending cam-acting abutment 11, which, as shown, and preferred, iscast integral with the hinge lug 3. The lower and short end of the lever10 is formed with a pocket 10a in which is seated the lower end of acoiled spring 1:2. The upper end of this coiled spring 12 bears againsta socalled wearing piece 13 that is mounted to slide on the long arm ofthe lever 10 and is spring-pressed against the said abutment 11. Thesaid wearing piece 13 has a perforation through which the long arm ofthe lever 1() is passed and it is provided with a suitable boss thatprojects into the upper end of the spring and holds the latter againstlateral displacement. lVhen the lid is closed. as shown in Fig. 1, theresulting force of the spring 12 is approximately on a line intersectingthe point of the abutment 11 and the axis of the trunnions 9 and is.therefore, not

only downward. but oblique to and inward the spring will be compressedby the shifting engagement of the wearing piece 13 and long arm of thelever 10 on the peculiar shaped abutment l1, but when the lid is 'abouthalf open, the arm of the lever 10 will engage the point of the abutmentand the spring device will then be in a neutral' position, but when thelid is forced farther lpward toward its cxtreme open position, thespring will be permitted to again expand, and hence, not only acceleratethe completion of the opening movement, but will hold the lid initsextreme open position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. finder theclosing movement of the lid, the actions are, of course, reversed, sothat after the lid has been forced below the neutral point of the springdevice it will be automatically closed by the spring' and held closedthereby.

A peculiarity of the above described action is found in the fact thatthe spring, through the lever 10 and wearing piece 13, has both of itsbases of reaction against the cam shaped abutment, and the force istransmitted to the lid through the pivotal connection between the leverand the lid.

'llhe `fao-called wearing piece 13 mounted on the upper arm of thelever, not only takes the wear against the cam abutment, but

serves to hold the spring in proper positiom upper end of the lever whenthe lid is opened or closed.y The efliciency of the above describeddevice has been demonstrated in practice.

What I claim is: A 1. The combination With a journal box and a lidhinged thereto, of a cam-acting abutment on said box, a lever pivoted tosaid lid and engaging said abutment, and a spring re-acting against saidabutment and lever and exerting a force normally holding Said lid in aclosed position.

2. The combination With a journal box and a lid hinged thereto, of acam-acting abutment on said box. a lever pivoted to said lid andengaging said abutment, and a spring re-acting against said abutment andlever, said lever and spring shifting their points of re-action, underopening and closing movements of the lid, and yieldingly holding the lidin both closed and opened positions.

3. The combination with a journal box and a lid hinged thereto.A of acam-acting abutment on said box in the vicinity of its hinge, connectionto said lid, a lever intermediate-.ly pivoted to said lid with one armengaging said abutment, a wearing piece slidablyy mounted on said leverand also engaging said abutment, and a spring interposed between saidwearing piece and said lever and exerting a force normally holding thelid in a closed position.

4. The combination with a journal box and a lid hinged thereto, of acam-acting abutment onsaid box in the vicinity ot its hinge connectionto said lid, a lever intermediately pivoted to said lid, at a pointinward of the plane of the mouth of the box, with one arm engaging saidabutment, a Wearing piece slidably mounted on the abutment engaging armof said lever and also engaging said abutment. and a spring interposedbetween said wearing piece and the other arm of said lever and exertinga force normally holding the lid in a closed position.

. The combination with a journal box and a lid hinged thereto, of acam-acting abutment on said box in the vicinity of its pivotalconnection to said lid, a bell crank lever pivoted to said lid with itsupwardly extended arm engaged with said abutment, a wearing pieceslidably mounted on the upwardlyr extended arm of said lever and alsoengaging said abutment, and a coiled springv reacting against saidvvearing piece and the lower end of said lever, and exerting a torcenormally holding said lid in a closed position.

6. The combination with a journal box and a lid hinged thereto, of acam-acting abutment on said box, a level' detachably pivoted to saidlid, with one end engaged With said abutment, and a spring re-actingagainst the other end of said lever and the said abutment and exciting atorce normally holding said lid in a closed position.

7. The combination with a journal box having a hinge lug with adepending cani shaped abutment, of a lid hinged to said lug and havingon its inner face laterally spaced inwardly projecting brackets, a bellcrank lever detachably pivoted in open seats in the imvardly projectingbrackets of said lid With its upper arm engaged With said abutment, awearing piece slidably mounted on the upper arm of said lever and alsoengaging said abutment. and a coiled spring re-'acting against saidwearing piece and the lower arm oi said level'.

ln testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALVIN C. MCCORD. Witnesses O. lV. RUDOLPH, C. J. COPELAND.

